Wednesday, October 2, 2013

September Brewed! Coffees Consumed & Games Played


Coffee Beans
I believe September was my first full month of regular posting, with no data reports! What has the world come to, when there are no data reports? Well, it could possibly be one of the reasons the U.S. government has shutdown, but I'm not positive.

If you only skimmed posts here occasionally in September, here are some posts you might have missed:
Interview: Ripstone on Pure Chess Wii U & 3DS (Part 1)
Dear Mr. Iwata, Please fix this Nintendo of America problem...
Call of Duty: Ghosts Trailer - Updated Wii U GamePad Version
Interview: Ripstone on Pure Chess Wii U & 3DS (Part 2)
Coffee Shop! Permanent Wii U price drops on games!

Now, what coffees did I consume and games did I play in September, even beating one of them? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed
In our "Coffee House" we roasted up the Beaumont Classic Roast coffee blend daily, which has been a staple coffee blend for us for quite some time now. We went through almost two "270" cup containers of it in September, and I'm still enjoying the blend. It's not too strong, and not too weak.

Another coffee blend I had during September was a Caribou Coffee "Coffee of the Day" blend on a business venture. I don't buy coffee from coffee shops much these days, but if I were to have to choose between a Caribou Coffee "Coffee of the Day" or a Starbucks "Coffee of the Day" blend, I would probably go with the Caribou Coffee more often. While I can enjoy my coffee drinks strong and dark roasted, and I drink them black 99% of the time, Starbucks' coffee from the stores often seems a bit over roasted to me. The Caribou Coffee blend I had was a good medium roast blend, and I didn't feel like I was drinking coffee that had an almost burnt flavor to it.

Games Played
The "Instant Coffee" list of games I played in September is: Pure Chess, Kung Fu Rabbit, LEGO City: Undercover, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Toki Tori 2+, Rabbids Land, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, and Pushover.


Pure Chess is now available on iOS and Android devices, and I downloaded the free mobile version of Pure Chess last month on Mrs. Coffee's NOOK HD+ Tablet. I have really enjoyed my time with the game, and if you missed my write up on the mobile version, you can read it HERE. I haven't made any purchase in the mobile version yet, simply because the tablet device I play it on isn't mine. I am planning on getting the Wii U version of Pure Chess when it releases though (hopefully later this month!), and I'm looking forward to getting more than one online match going at time!

Kung Fu Rabbit was my first Wii U eShop purchase. The game released at a low price of only $4.99, and being that it's a platformer game, I figured I would give it a try. I haven't beaten all the levels in yet, but have enjoyed my time with the game and have found it challenging. Kung Fu Rabbit is currently on sale on the Wii U eShop for only $2.49, and the sale ends tomorrow (Oct. 3rd).

LEGO City: Undercover is my September "Game of the Month", well, if I did "Game of the Month" awards! While I started playing LEGO City in August, it wasn't until September that I really put some time into the game. I ended up beating LEGO City: Undercover's story in September, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game. If you are even a little bit interested in LEGO City: Undercover for the Wii U, I would highly recommend you give the game a try. Unfortunately though, I encountered a serious issue with the game, that I'll be posting about separately. In short, if you get the game, make sure to plan on playing it and attempting to beat it within 90 days of purchasing it!


Toki Tori 2 received a big update in September, and after the update is now named Toki Tori 2+ on the Wii U eShop. After I updated the game, I played through a few more of the levels, and I am still really enjoying the game because it makes me think. Despite having only two basic moves to start (not sure if more are unlocked or found as you play), the levels and puzzles that I have encountered so far really show me the development team spent time being creative with putting the game together. Toki Tori 2+ will be a game I continue to play through, just slower than other games though due to its pacing and gameplay style. If you enjoy slower paced games, with puzzles that require you to think to progress through levels, you probably will want to check out Toki Tori 2+.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II was the game played for the first ever official "CoffeeWithGames Game Night". If you missed the posts about the CoffeeWithGames Game Night, you can read them HERE and HERE. While Black Ops II's online Wii U community may be small in numbers, there are many excellent players online and many have achieved the "Master Prestige" level. Amazon is still holding a sale on Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the Wii U, with its price down to $19.99 for those of you that might be interested in it.

Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed was randomly picked out of a stack of games by Bean 1 and requested for me to play, the very last day of September! I raced several races, on different tracks. I still enjoyed my time with this game, and should probably spend a bit more time beating the main mode and unlocking everything. I have said it before, and I'll say it again: I think the vehicle transformations with the track designs are brilliant! The way some of the tracks can change from lap to lap is something I would like to see in Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, but I doubt that will go as far as this one.

Art Academy: Sketchpad found its way on our Wii U console in September. I wouldn't really classify this as a game, as much as a learning tool. I purchased this for Bean 1, because he has been drawing so much here recently, and I thought he might enjoy it and hopefully learn some things once they get lessons added. We haven't used it a lot yet, but the drawing/painting tools included are pretty impressive (speaking from a non-artist's perspective). If you're not familiar with this title, its description on the Wii U eShop reads: "Art Academy: Sketchpad is a robust art application that anyone can enjoy - from beginners to experts of all ages. Unleash your creativity using realistic stylus and touch screen-based controls. The tools at your disposal allow for an amazing level of detail. The huge variety of pencils, colored pencils, and pastels behave just like the real thing - with additional tools to further enhance your experience."

Rabbids Land was played during September on Talk Like a Pirate Day. If ye missed me post on it, ye can read 'bout me adventures with the game, HERE. Below is a video of my favorite mini-game from Rabbids Land:

Pushover - This is a game I'm helping Phil, of SuperPhillipCentral, test out. He has put the game together for one of his classes, and I was able to first try it out late Monday night. Bean 1 was watching me as I played it, and if you're wondering if it left an impression on him, the very first thing he requested when he awoke from his deep non-coffee slumber on Tuesday was for me to fire up the game! I'm not sure if Phil has any plans to release what he has put together, but if you want to know more about it you may want to keep an eye on his site, HERE.

Questions
Did any of you purchase a new game (or, application) in September like I did with Art Academy: Sketchpad? If so, what did you get? Also, did any of you perhaps beat a game in September, like I beat LEGO City: Undercover, and is it one that you would recommend to others?

On the coffee side, did any of you take advantage of National Coffee Day and get some free coffee, or brew up anything new coffee wise in the month?

Coffee Shop! Rayman Legends on sale for $40


Coffee Shop
Rayman Legends just released last month, on September 3rd, with a MSRP of $59.99 on every major home console (360, PS3, Wii U). It's been less than a month since it released, and the game is now seeing its first major sale already.

The game was developed and published by Ubisoft, and received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE 10+" with "Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

GameStop.com currently has Rayman Legends for the PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on sale for just $39.99. You can see all the versions (including PC and PS Vita) of Rayman Legends listed HERE.

Here are direct links to each versions' individual page if you're interested in grabbing it right now:
Rayman Legends for the PlayStation 3 on sale for $39.99, HERE.
Rayman Legends for the Wii U on sale for $39.99, HERE.
Rayman Legend for the Xbox 360 on sale for $39.99, HERE.
Rayman Legends for the PS Vita on sale for $29.99, HERE.

*Update: Amazon.com earlier this afternoon price-matched GameStop's price on the Wii U and PS Vita versions of Rayman Legends, HERE and HERE. I'm including all the current versions on Amaazon.com below, in case they price-match the other versions as well:



Questions
If you have played Rayman Legends (I haven't), would you recommend the game at this price or even at its regular MSRP of $59.99?

Also, if you have played the Wii U version, does the full game make good use of the Wii U's GamePad?

Sunday, September 29, 2013

PCA: National Coffee Day! Free coffee notification.


Coffee Beans
This is a quick post, to remind my fellow coffee drinkers that TODAY, September 29, 2013 is National Coffee Day!

If you are out and about on this fine day, there are a few coffee chains celebrating National Coffee Day (that's every day in our house, so not sure why it's only celebrated one day a year at these other places...for SHAME!), and you can get some free or discounted coffee drinks at some of them.

Here are a few coffee chains that are giving away free coffee today:
Caribou Coffee - Get a free small cup of Amy's Blend coffee. You need to print the coupon or show it on your mobile phone to get it.
Dunkin' Donuts - Get a free small coffee using the Dunkin' Donuts mobile app coupon.
Krispy Kreme - Get a free small, 12 oz., coffee.
McDonald's - I believe there are certain McDonald's locations participating as well like last year, giving away free small cups of coffee, but it depends on the location.

I'm already on my second pot of Beaumont Classic Roast coffee for the day, with at least one more planned later this night. So, I won't be making any special trip out to get any at the local coffee shops that are participating in our area.

This Public Coffee Announcement was not paid for or endorsed by any coffee shop, coffee provider, or coffee distributor!

Questions
Have any of you already participated in 2013's National Coffee Day today? Did you find a local coffee shop that was doing a coffee promotion, and if so, which coffee shop was it?

Perhaps you're like me though and enjoy coffee every day, and instead have just brewed yourself some coffee at home on this fine Sunday?

Friday, September 27, 2013

FPS Friday! CoffeeWithGames Game Night - Black Ops II Wii U match footage


Coffee Beans
Well, it has been an interesting week. Sunday started off with the first official CoffeeWithGames Game Night playing some matches in Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the Wii U. Then Monday night I started working on putting together a video of one of the matches from the Game Night.

Before I digress into the video rendering issues I have experienced though, the video above is from the very first match of the CoffeeWithGames Game Night on Sunday. I believe it's also the very first video I have uploaded in 1080p, though I'm not very good at telling the difference between 1080p and 720p myself.

I have been using the Elgato Game Capture HD device since January of this year, and while I initially had some issues with rendering files out back in January in my video editing software, I quickly solved that problem. Then Monday happened. I tried rendering out one of the Black Ops II matches from the previous night, as I had done many times before with videos and trailer, but upon rendering the video out from the match, it became EXTREMELY blurry.

So, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and yesterday (Thursday), I randomly spent time trying to fix the rendering issues. Again, I now capture my gameplay videos using the Elgato Game Capture HD, but I edit them together using Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.0 edition, which is the video editing software I have used for pretty much the last 3 years.

No matter what I tried, how many times I re-recorded the match, re-rendered the video, it was always turning out extremely blurry after rendering the video. So, while my solution for what I HOPE is a permanent fix using Elgato video files with Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD, I think that's for another post altogether.

If you watched the video above, you can see the match went pretty well for the team I was on. I was able to play for just over an hour, and got in several more matches in the game, all playing just regular Team Deathmatch battles. The first match was actually my best match in terms of my kill/death ratio for the night, but I enjoyed all of the matches.


So, while the first CoffeeWithGames Game Night was a success in terms of getting some matches in, being that a new Call of Duty will be releasing in just over a month now for the Wii U, I'm not sure how many more Black Ops II Game Nights there will be!

If you own a Wii U and are interested in Black Ops II, it is STILL currently on sale for just $19.99 on Amazon.com. You can click the image above to be taken directly to the game's Amazon.com page if you would like. If you own a Wii U and Black Ops II, my NNID is Coffees and feel free to send me an invite.

Questions
Have any of you been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the Wii U and enjoying it, but perhaps are now looking forward to when Call of Duty: Ghosts releases in November for the Wii U?

You can see new and used prices for Black Ops II on Amazon.com below, as well as the pre-order page for Call of Duty: Ghosts Wii U:


*Disclaimer: My copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops II Wii U was provided by Activision for coverage purposes.

CONNECT WITH COFFEE

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Coffee Shop! Permanent Wii U price drops on games!


Coffee Beans
Yesterday, September 20, 2013, was the first day for the first official manufacturer's suggested retail price drop on the Wii U Deluxe Sets to take place. The Wii U system has been out less than a year now, releasing just last November in the U.S., and the Wii U Deluxe Set originally released with a MSRP of $349.99.

For those of you, unlike myself, that didn't buy a Wii U system when it released or before yesterday, you can now find at least two Wii U Deluxe Sets to buy at its new lower MSRP of only $299.99. There is the standard Wii U Deluxe Set bundled with Nintendo Land, and the newer Limited-edition Wii U Deluxe Set that comes with a digital eShop version of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, the special customized Wind Waker HD Wii U GamePad, as well as a digital download copy of The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia. If you're looking for the White Wii U Basic Set though, apparently that one is going the way of an honest politician, and will probably become more difficult to find as a new product.

So, while the Wii U has now seen its first official MSRP drop, what about Wii U games that have been released? Well, some Wii U games have now apparently seen official price drops, some pretty significant price drops.

Brew yourself some coffee, and see if any of the following new Wii U games prices and deals stand out to you, and if you would recommend any of them to your fellow Wii U gamers!

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